Those concerned with American Indian education must recognize the value inherent in revitalization of the fundamental Indian "life" principles. To this end, a critical examination of present Indian bilingual and bicultural programs is sorely needed. To provide a favorable climate for valid research in the evaluation of special programs, highest priority must be given to consideration of: (1) the educability of Indian youth; (2) the misconception of an either/or proposition relative to academic and bilingual education; (3) the lack of a solid foundation in communicative and computative skills as the greatest deterrent to Indian educability; (4) the rigid definitions applied to compensatory program allocations. In response to a felt need for better evaluation of special Indian education programs, the following methodologies are proposed: (1) the systems approach; (2) cost benefit analyses; (3) use of community leader, teacher, and student consultants; (4) periodic self evaluations by school staff and administrators. Recommendations for future bilingual/bicultural programs include research to: (1) develop an accurate picture of the status of such programs; (2) determine the standards of bilingual/bicultural educators; (3) explore the problems of student motivation; (4 evaluate demonstration projects in Indian education resource development and training. (JC)